Dec 17, 2008

It’s weird to go back and listen to these old compilations that have a place in the heart and soul of the 16 year old me. I hate to say it but I try to be an honest person… if I heard such an eclectic mix of bands on a CD today I would probably cringe and chuck it out of my car window. What happened to that youthful energy I had? That ambitious and inquisitive nature? Everything seemed so new and exciting then. Bands were harder to come by, and putting out records was reserved for those who had the money, gumption, and know how. Politics and being socially conscious were at a great all time high with hardcore, crust, emo, and punk kids. Did we get lazy? Are we too wrapped up in quick fame, technology, business, and egos? With all of the worlds advancements I feel like things have changed so much and everything can sometimes seem like any sort of messages are lost or watered down. If you stand on your soapbox and talk about something you are chastised for being preachy. Remember the phrase “More than Music”? Maybe it’s all part of growing up. I’ll be 32 in just a few days and as much as I try to be as involved with the music scene I feel like I know less and less of what the fuck is going on. I think the 16 year old me would be proud of me in some ways, and in others want to kick me in my 32 year old dick. Who knows? Maybe the 30 year olds in 1994 felt the same way about my generation at the time. Punk rock saved my life and in other ways I feel like it ruined it. There are times that I wish I worked a 9-5 desk job, came home drank a can of Miller Lite, and played Xbox for 8 hours a night. But that’s not me, it’s not in my blood like the music and ideas such as the ones conveyed on this LP that I feel connected to. Maybe there should be a support group for the 30+ “kids” to help each other through our trials and tribulations of coping with everyday. It’s hard to stay blind to the bullshit of the world. Anyway, if that support group is out there, sign me up…

Well enough of that randomness… “A Food Not Bombs Benefit LP” on Inchworm records came out in 1994 with a great mixture of who’s who in the hardcore, metal, and emo world at the time. Many of these bands are still highly revered to this day. I think there’s a reason for this, these bands were ahead of their time and setting the standards for their sub genres. On top of all of that this LP was all about bringing awareness to homelessness, starvation, society's ills, and where our Country’s money is spent. These are all subjects more than relevant today as the US is still pissing away our finances into projects that are not really improving the general quality of life here on our own soil. These cool silkscreened covers (I still have a soft spot for those) also contained a thick zine like liner note booklet. Inside you will find a lot of information about FNB and also each band contributes a page of their lyrics that look like were individually designed by each band, further giving you a sense of their art. Overall everything about this release is what made me fall in love with punk and hardcore. The sense of being pro-active, giving a fuck, and actually getting off of your ass and doing something. I see flyers for benefit shows all over the US these days and there’s not one ounce of info stating what it is even for. I attend shows where there’s canned food drives and I don’t know if kids are doing it because it’s trendy or to save $2 off of the fee. But then at the show no one gets up and talks about where the food is going and what the point of it all was. Listening to this LP gets that fire going in my gut. I appreciate the fact that it can still invoke that sort of reaction out of me.

Dec 9, 2008

East Coast Empire was a really cool label in the late 90s that paved the way for a few bands. Focusing mainly on really heavy hardcore and also supporting their local scene, I had nothing but respect for these guys. They went away for a few years but now they're back which is pretty cool. This was a sweet 7” comp (man how awesome did comps used to be!?!) that featured some of Connecticut's finest at that time. There’s even a pretty sweet Death Threat track featuring guest vocals from the singer of Divided By Hate that I don’t think surfaced on any of their other releases. Fear Tomorrow has a great heavy sound and ECER released a split with them and Integ2000. I also think the 100 Demons track on here was an exclusive song and boy is it a heavy hitter. All in all I really miss these 7” comps showcasing a local scene. This makes me want to do an all Erie Hardcore 7” on Surprise Attack. Hmmmm…

Dec 5, 2008

This 7” seems like it flew under the radar a little bit when you think of Syracuse Hardcore. Oversight features the very recognizable voice of Shane Durgee from Framework & Gatekeeper (previously posted on Coregasm) among other bands. His vocals are heavy and in your face but in a melodic, strong singing kind of way. Here and there a few of the songs even have that e-crunch that Green Rage and Earth Crisis spread to the whole world. These tracks were recorded in 1992 @ Penguin Studios. The players were: Shane – vocals, Dave – guitar, Jay – bass, and Casey on drums. Funny thing about the inner sleeve is that eccentric label owner Mike Warden from Conquer the World even has his own thanx list in the layout. I’ve never seen a label owner (not in the band mind you) do such a thing. Very weird… and to top it off Mike thanx “My mom for putting on my X’s”. haha, awesome. I’ll give him some credit though, this was his very first release so who knows!?!

OVERSIGHT “After This Day” 7” (mines on grey marble)
Released in 1992 on Conquer the World Records (CTW 001) https://www.mediafire.com/?lwokxyc4xd6gk68
1. Picking Up the Pieces
2. Princess
3. Reveal
4. The Pedestal

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A little addition to this post is the 7” from COUNTER PUNCH. I picked this up back then simply because it was released on Shane Durgee’s label Reflection (not to be confused with the current awesome European label Reflections). There are no liner notes, lyrics, or any information other than song titles and that it was Reflection Records #4. So maybe some of you can fill in the missing pieces on this release and band. I actually really enjoy the songs so check them out! It’s kind of in a similar vein of groovy, raw, and heavy but on the melodic tip. Great stuff and I wish more bands were trying stuff like this.

Latest News:

As of 9/6/16 all mp3 links should be updated and working again even on all of the archived posts from throughout the years. If you find a broken link please let us know in the comments section of the post and we will fix it ASAP.

If you were in any of the bands posted on here please get in touch and help shed some light on some of these great old pieces of hardcore / punk rock history. I would love to share your stories! Thanx for reading. - EMS